Duncan will sit vs. Kings

Playing the matchup odds, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has opted to rest Tim Duncan during tonight’s game against Sacramento.

It is the first night of a back-to-back that will take the Spurs to Golden State on Monday, and Popovich planned to sit Duncan in one of the two games. Sacramento made sense from a matchup standpoint.

“In the past, he’s been a difference-maker against Golden State, so we’re going to opt to use him in that game,” Popovich said in his pre-game meeting with the media. “We’re not going to play him in both. It’s just not good for him.”

Duncan has been struggling with soreness in his knees for more than a month, but in recent days had said the pain is showing signs of fading. He said he could have played against the Kings, but understood why Popovich wants to play it safe.

“They don’t want be to play back-to-backs this late in the season,” Duncan said. “We’re just trying to be smart about it and do things the right way.”